Scientific talks and discussion
The scientific program of the conference will start on Monday, 30 June morning, and consist of longer invited talks and shorter contributed talks. There will be a concluding panel discussion on Thursday, 3 July late afternoon. The final schedule of the talks will be announced in early June. All scientific sessions will take place at the University of Tartu Institute of Physics building (Physicum), W. Ostwaldi 1, Tartu. Online links for hybrid attendance will be shared with the conference participants only.
Computer algebra workshop
Friday 4 July from the morning till late afternoon is dedicated to hands on tutorial workshops on using computer algebra in gravity theory calculations, focussing on free specialized software packages Cadabra in the morning and SymPy (tensor) in the afternoon. The plan is to prepare respective tutorial worksheets and make them available beforehand, so that the interested participants can install and run the software with meaningful content, and get familiar with the basics if they wish. During the workshop the tutors would quickly go through the main part of the worksheets and comment on some key points. Looking at the examples in the tutorial worksheets, the participants can then try to solve a set of relevant coding tasks themselves, starting from a basic level and gradually adding sophistication. During the workshops the tutors and more knowledgeable colleagues would be available to give tips and answer any questions that arise, and eventually explain the solutions of the coding tasks to everybody.
Public Lecture
A public lecture will be given on Tuesday 1 July evening at 18:15 at the historic Tartu Old Observatory. The speaker and title will be announced along with the scientific program. The talk is open for public and entrance is free. Before the talk, interested participants can take a tour in the observatory museum. To speed up the process of buying the museum tickets, ticket money 4 euros per person will be collected beforehand in cash.
Social Program
The social program consists of the welcoming reception, the sightseeing trip to South Estonia, and the conference dinner.
The reception on Monday 30 June evening is held from 18:30 till 20:30 at the old university cafe Drinkgeld (Ülikooli kohvik). A variety of drinks and snacks will be served including a vegan option. In the middle of the event everybody is invited to participate in the traditional GeomGrav Quiz featuring topical and trivia questions on the kahoot platform. Please bring your internet connecting device (mobile phone, tablet, laptop) to join in. Free wifi is available on spot.
The sightseeing trip will take place on Wednesday, 2 June afternoon. A coach will pick us up at the Physicum parking lot at 13:30 and drive for slightly more than about an hour. Those who are keen to enjoy a hike, can take a nature walk along the Piusa river valley hiking tail, approximately 4 km to the castle (see the map). The path goes through coniferous and broadleaf forests next to a small river and sandstone outcrops, winds up to a hill to offer a scenic view to a farmland landscape, and passes by an old watermill. When walking, please avoid leaving the path by wandering into the bush or high grass, to avoid potential exposure to ticks (small slowly crawling insects that may carry nasty diseases). After dropping the hikers, the coach will drive to the Vastseliina castle, which centuries ago was a famous pilgrimage site and military stronghold guarding the eastern border of Western civilization. The local tavern has a bar open, and it is possible to just take look around or find a nice spot to sit in the ruins area. By 16:00 everybody should have arrived at the castle to begin a guided tour at exhibitions and museum. At 18:00 a medieval style dinner at the tavern awaits us for nourishment, offering oven baked vegetables, golden chicken, groats porridge, bread, butter, spring water, kvass, herbal teas, as well as wine soaked pears for dessert. Leaving the castle, driving on the way back to Tartu if the weather permits we may stop for a swim or stroll at Lake Tamula beach. We will return to Tartu at about 21:30, stopping at Physicum and the city centre.
The conference dinner on Thursday 3 July evening at 19:00 till 21:00 will take place at Joyce, one of the most creative restarants in Estonia, listed in the Michelin Guide and holding a Green Key eco label. The participants can choose between three menu options of three courses each: "Earth" (smoked pork belly with marinated cabbage, bacon consomme, pearl barley; venison with parsnip, oyster mushroom, beet; chocolate), "Sea" (pikeperch cheeks with black salsify, salami, egg; white fish with sea buckthorn, kohlrabi, broccolini; lemon and raspberry), and "Vegan" (celeriac with chives, wild garlic, celery; ratatouille with kale, chili oil, hazelnut; lemon and raspberry). The menus include filtered water and coffee/tea, while a glass of house wine is complimentary. Please indicate your choice in the registration form!
